Brown picks up AFL-CIO endorsement

Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown's gubernatorial campaign picked up another labor endorsement Saturday, after the Maryland and Washington branch of the AFL-CIO voted to back him.

Fred Mason, president of the union, pointed to Brown's defense of collecting bargaining rights, work to boost the minimum wage and support for public schools as reasons for the endorsement.

"Anthony Brown is a proven fighter for Maryland's hard working families," Mason said in a statement.

The union represents about 300,000 workers in Maryland across a number of industries and said it plans to roll out its members to campaign for Brown and his running mate, Howard County Executive Ken Ulman.

Brown, a Democrat, thanked the union for its stamp of approval.

"I'm humbled to have earned their support in our campaign to build a better Maryland," he said in a statement.

Saturday's announcement bolsters Brown's already substantial union support. The Maryland State Education Association and the state's SEIU branch had already chose to back him in next year's elections.